


Le Petite Fleur

by xviichapters



Series: Creatures of the Night [1]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Blood and Violence, Fantasy, M/M, Mild Gore, Monsta X Cameos, SVT95MONTH, Sexy? I would say?, Supernatural Elements, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-06-03
Packaged: 2019-05-17 07:12:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14827790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xviichapters/pseuds/xviichapters
Summary: It is 14th Century France and amidst poverty, disease, bloody battles and fading sanity, vampire king Choi Seungcheol might possibly have found that one thing called love.Prequel to Les Sorcières.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **
> 
> GLOSSARY
> 
> **
> 
> _**coven**_ : a group of vampires and or other species ruled over by a Vampire King or Queen  
>  _ **children**_ : used by vampires in reference to vampires they turned or other vampires in their coven  
>  _ **drones**_ : humans that serve vampire covens by willingly providing blood and partake in other servant duties; usually permanent to the household  
>  _ **hive**_ : a vampire's place of residence  
>  _ **humans**_ : (when used by vampires in reference to feeding) just snacks; interchangeable faces for when vampires want to taste new blood instead of their usual drones'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To my Cheolsooists: Its been a long time coming but I hope you like this little thing I made, and that it isn't as big a disappointment as the first one was. (Can you believe its almost been a year since the one I wrote for Sab omg...) Our motto is "We gotta feed ourselves [sad emoji] [devil hand emoji]" so this is me feeding us. D: Enjoy.
> 
> p.s. Big freaking THANK YOU to Sarah for the help with ~French~ stuff. Ily.

Vampire King Choi Seungcheol was ruthless.

No one really knew where he came from, and no one was old enough to remember a time when he wasn’t a vampire. Maybe the Elders knew, but they didn’t operate in these parts. The Vampire Council was in stuffy old Greece, too ancient, too caught up in their own stupid politics, to really care about what the younger kind was up to in the rest of Europe, let alone in the poor, warring fields of old France.

As far as anyone was concerned, Choi Seungcheol was the oldest vampire around and with this seniority came an immense fear for the power he wielded.

No witch, no wolf and certainly no human could yield control over him. The wolves, though matched in strength didn’t bother him and kept to their own territories. The witches, similarly, kept to their covens. And the humans don’t say a word when the vampire king takes their people and make them into his children, sometimes as often as once every six months because he got bored of the previous ones.

(He chose them the way most people picked flowers; with a focus on the aesthetics, breathing in their scents, sucking dry all their beauty and finally tossing them away when all that they once were had wilted.)

Mad. That's what he was. Mad with bloodlust and driven mad with time.

And a madman was far more frightening than a cold-hearted ruler. At least with the latter one knew what to expect; the former was not so easy to predict.

Life had become downright boring for the vampire king and no parties he threw, drinks he drunk could change that. He was becoming reckless, wild, and the people could do nothing but watch.

“Jihoon,” Seungcheol drawled, calling his oldest son over. “The townsfolk were very chatty this morning when I was out and about. Is there anything of interest I should be concerned about?”

The small man came and bowed low in front of the vampire king. “A missionary group will be coming into town, Your Highness. They’ve brought with them more mouths to feed and the townspeople are upset.”

“As they should be,” Seungcheol murmured. He wondered if they would pose a threat. “Has anyone gone to check on them yet?”

“Not yet, Your Highness. It was daytime when they reached the town and they stayed inside at night.”

“No doubt that’s the pastor’s doing.” Seungcheol pursed his lips, slightly annoyed. It was a slight inconvenience but he could understand the human’s caution. It meant that the only supernaturals the entourage would come across if ever, were the ones in power and held the most self-restraint. Though, Seungcheol wasn’t sure how true the latter was when it came to himself.

He allowed himself a faint smirk which he was sure Jihoon didn’t miss. “Alright, then I will go tomorrow morning.” It wasn’t like he had anything to do, anyway.

 

*

 

They were skinny, sick, and looked like exemplar hosts for disease.

There were three families as far as Seungcheol could tell, and they were living in the backyard of the church. Missionaries. They came into the town often enough, hopelessly spreading the word of God with a certain persistence that could only be described as blind faith, only to realize that there were much too many supernaturals for any of their messages to catch too well.

It wasn’t that the supernatural folk weren’t religious. Seungcheol knew many roves who made sure their children went to church every Sunday.

But Seungcheol himself couldn’t see the point when it was mortals who would meet God. Supernaturals like him disseminated when they “die”. Disappear into dust. _Poof_ — no life after death, not when the soul (or excess of it) no longer has a palace to go to.

The pastor was in the yard, moving people around. Seungcheol strode up to him quietly, with a swiftness characteristic only to vampires.

“I see you’ve brought more, Father,” Seungcheol murmured, voice low, but it was enough to scare the old man out of his skin.

“K-King Choi!” the old man bowed, “What brings you here?”

Seungcheol cocked a brow. “You should know I make it my business to be aware of everything that goes on in this town. I heard some gossip and thought to see what all the fuss is about.”

“Ah,” the pastor was visibly sweating. “Well as you can see, they’re just ordinary missionaries visiting for a while. They’ll be on their way soon enough.”

Seungcheol merely hummed. He moved about the yard, making his presence known. The humans prickled, instinctively sensing that something not quite human was amongst them but since they were not yet acquainted to the ways of the town or learnt of Seungcheol and his coven, they ignored him. Seungcheol smirked.

Humans are so naive.

“As you can see King Choi, there’s nothing wrong here,” the pastor tried hastily to gain back his attention, “They’re poor folk. Thin. It would be…”

“Yes?”

The pastor hesitated. “...If I could ask a favour sir, it would be great if none of them were… taken, if you know what I mean.”

Seungcheol grinned wickedly, unabashed. “Made a drone, you mean?”

The old man paled. “Y-yes. T-there really isn’t much on them to drink you see. Not much meat at all and I— Well, I’ve promised my protection you see—”

“That wasn’t very smart of you, Father,” Seungcheol tutted. He let his gaze sweep over the travellers. The man was right, however. There was no one here that really quirked his interest and he had at least some sense if not conscience or a heart. There would be little benefit in trying to take blood from any of these people. “I will let the coven and roves know this group is off limits.”

The pastor’s face flooded with relief. “Thank you King—”

“However, it will come with a price, of course.” The pastor swallowed, nodding. “I will collect the debts in due time.”

As Seungcheol started to walk away, a pair of figures rounded the church and a boy came running into view, tripping over his too-big feet as the other person yelled, “Come back here, you stupid child!”

The boy dashed towards the pastor, cowering behind him.

“Father, Father,” the boy begged, “Hide me, please.”

“Hong Jisoo!” A woman, hair dishevelled and face livid and wild, came flying in right after him, wielding a long, thick stick like some macabre sword. She reminded Seungcheol of a rabid vampire queen he had seen once in the backwaters of Asia, who had gone on a killing rampage on her children and all those who stood in her way. Seungcheol had felt rather happy taking her down.

“Hong Jisoo you useless boy!” the woman continued to scream, “Father don’t shield him, he must pay for his sins—”

“Please don’t be rash now Sue—”

“He was talking to the street girls again!” she was aghast. “Holding _hands_ with them! You’re a little sinner, aren’t you!”

She raised her stick and the boy screamed, loud and pitiful. “ _Nooo!_ ”

Now, most of the time, Seungcheol wouldn’t even have batted an eye in such a situation. He had brought the bat down on many a disobedient subject, but there had always been purpose behind them, a lawful reason. Getting beaten for something as stupid as talking to others his age, opposite sex or not, was neither lawful nor reasonable. And there was something about this particular boy, so thin and helpless, limbs mere sticks if they could even be called that, that reminded him of a dark time long ago. A flash of memory cut through his vision. A tall imposing figure, an angry face. A stinging pain that ran throughout his whole body.

Seungcheol looked at the boy who had his eyes squeeze shut, just waiting for the blow.

As the stick came down to strike, Seungcheol gripped it and tossed it back into the woods where it came from.

The woman stepped backed, shocked, and the boy ceased his wailing.

“No one is to harm that boy,” Seungcheol commanded, voice cold. “That is my first demand, Father.”

The pastor paled considerably. “K-king Choi, discipline is part of making sure—”

“Not this kind of discipline, not on this boy,” Seungcheol interrupted. “He looks like a strong wind might just topple him over. That’s the deal, Father.” His eyes flashed. “Understood?”

“Y-yes, King.”

“Now wait one second,” the woman started, “You can’t tell me how to raise my chi—”

The vampire king snarled. “Have you ever met a supernatural, ma’am?”

“N-no...”

“Well, you are talking to one right now. The King of the Vampires in these lands. Plenty would kill to be in your place right now.” That was, just so that they could kill him themselves but he didn’t tell the woman that. He smiled with all his teeth — especially the two, long canines. “I hope you remember exactly where you belong.”

Seungcheol spared one last look at the boy, who was staring back with wide eyes. He addressed the pastor. “Attend to the boy’s wounds.”

Then Seungcheol swept away and said no more.

The pastor’s eyes were sad when Jisoo looked up again.

The dark shadow had long receded but everyone was all still paralysed by the vampire king’s presence. His stepmother — no, _mother_ , he had been beaten into remembering – sneered down at him, spitting by his feet for good measure.

“You’re lucky that man stepped in you ungrateful brat.” Pastor John stepped in front of her before she could say — or do — anything else.

“That is no blessing, Sue,” he said hollowly. His hand came to rest on top of Jisoo’s head gently, almost as if to impart some sort of knowledge or protection upon him. “It’s never good to be singled out by a supernatural, especially that one. In fact… it’s the worst fate of all.”

He looked at Jisoo like he was a sheep set for slaughter, merely counting his days. “May God be with you, my son.”

 

*

 

The boy had smelled of vanilla and roses.

 

*

 

“King?” Seungcheol snapped back to reality, turning his gaze towards his oldest son. “What should we do with him?”

In front of them was a young wolf, shivering in fear. He’d returned to human form sometime earlier, but the thin clothes he’d been given did little to preserve his dignity. Large, open gashes bled onto the ground below and his face was streaked with dirt.

Seungcheol smiled, something grotesque and ugly, teeth glinting in the late afternoon light.

“I heard you were on my land.”

The wolf nodded.

“You know, there is the treaty that says you are not to be on my land.”

“Y-yes King, I know but—”

Seungcheol dropped his smile. He grabbed the boy’s shirt and immediately he could smell a fresh wave of the boy’s fear, sour and pungent, head hanging low in submission.

It made his blood glow.

“Your alpha cannot protect you here.” Seungcheol went forth to deal the finishing blow when—

“ _NO!_ ” Minhyuk, one of his children, jumped in front of the wolf just before the strike could meet its mark, taking the blow for himself.

Seungcheol roared with full-blown anger. “You _DARE_ get in my way?”

“ _Please_ , King, he’s the alpha’s first son, the heir to the pack! If you carry on the werewolves will have you dead by the next full moon—”

The rest of the words were lost somewhere between the air and the lips on the severed head of his son. Seungcheol snarled, kicking it away. Minhyuk could only watch on in fear as the king towered above him.

“It’s a shame, I really liked you too.” Seungcheol sighed. “Jihoon, tear the rest of him apart. Make sure every single bit has been turned to ash by the time I’m done with supper.”

Jihoon nodded, picking the severed head of Minhyuk and the rest of his body down to the dungeons. Seungcheol only ever trusted Jihoon with the killings. His other children might have shown sympathy but Jihoon wasn’t built that way. Maybe that was the reason why, despite Seungcheol’s demented nature, he still remained the king’s oldest and most trusted child.

Seungcheol turned his evil grin back onto the wolf pup. “Now, let’s begin, shall we?”

 

*

 

Contrary to popular belief, Seungcheol didn’t enjoy the blood but he did enjoy the rush.

 

*

Seungcheol liked to take walks in the back countries of Europe, sometimes disappearing for days on end and coming back with plentiful gifts and tales for his waiting children. Walks were the one thing that brought him peace, that made him feel like he wasn’t slowly splintering in two as his fragile humanity and insatiable bloodlust fought a constant war within him.

Supernaturals walked a fine line between sanity and hysteria and Seungcheol feared that he may be coming to the end of his rope.

But no matter how far he walked, how many countries he traipsed overnight, he would always come back to the forests of the little French town where he had made his home.

And that was how Seungcheol found the boy, sleeping unprotected in his woods. He couldn’t be more than eighteen, so young yet so frail for his youth. His face was half-shrouded by the hood of his cloak, and the half Seungcheol could see was open and unguarded, unafraid.

Seungcheol stepped closer, curious.

There it is again – that scent of vanilla and roses. It smelled delicious – enticing, both sweet and sensual. The same boy from the churchyard. Hong Jisoo.

The boy shuddered in his slumber and turned onto his side. The winds shifted at the same time, lifting leaves and rustling branches, but more importantly downwind from Seungcheol. The boy was now shrouded under the shade of the trees, hidden from view unless one knew where to look.

Seungcheol let him sleep.

 

*

 

“Jihoon?” Seungcheol called his son, sometime after midnight.

He was in the study and completely alone, but he knew that his eldest son (and all his other children) would be able to hear him even from the gardens, so he waited patiently for the vampire to come.

“You called for me, King?” came his voice a few seconds later.

Seungcheol didn’t look up from his reading. “Jihoon I need you to run an errand.”

“Of course, sir.”

“Make sure that Minhyun knows I would like some bread and milk prepared for me in the morning before everyone goes to sleep. Put it in a basket with some fruits too. The food should satisfy a human’s palette.”

It really wasn’t necessary for Seungcheol to add the last part; Minhyun only ever cooked for the human drones in the house anyway, since all the other vampires didn’t need food to sustain themselves (though his cooking was excellent enough that they would have a bite of it from time to time). But Jihoon simply nodded at the command and slipped away as quietly as he had come.

Seungcheol supposed that was one of the reasons why he hadn’t gotten bored of Jihoon yet. The man was just too good at his job.

The next morning Seungcheol travelled to the woods earlier than usual and arranged the bread and milk in a small pit in the ground to keep warm, but still conspicuous enough so that whoever happened to pass by would see it in an instant. Then he waited, anyway, just in case the bread was found by anyone other than its intended recipient.

Before long the boy came skipping down the hill, thin cloak (really, more like a rag) dancing behind him. His eyes widened when he saw the stash. He looked around curiously and Seungcheol could only hope he was at least somewhat literate enough to read the card that came with the food.

 _For you,_ it read in simple script.

The boy took the bread carefully, eyeing the woods. For a moment it felt like the boy was staring straight at him, but then his gaze shifted away and Seungcheol let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Seungcheol wasn’t sure why he was so jittery, so nervous. He was just a boy, no more a threat to him than a mouse to a cat.

 _Yes, but,_ his treacherous heart had the nerve to murmur, _It is not his strength that you fear._

After ascertaining that nothing would come out from the trees and attack him for taking the food, Jisoo bit into the bread slowly, relishing the taste.

He let out a sound that conveyed he hadn’t eaten in days.

Maybe he really hadn’t. Seungcheol had taken special note of what the church was feeding the missionaries and it was little more than hot flavoured water, really. No wonder the boy was so thin.

After he was done he packed the basket nicely back into the pit and bowed to the trees. “Thank you for the meal. I thoroughly enjoyed it.”

Then Jisoo picked his own basket up and went off on his way.

Every day after that, Seungcheol kept asking Minhyun to pack more food into the basket until the boy’s cheeks turned round and rosy and there was finally some flesh on his bones. One day Jisoo left behind a note that read,

_“Thank you very much for the food, kind stranger, but you’ve given so much today that I couldn’t possibly finish it all. I will keep them here today so that you don’t have to bring more tomorrow._

_Sincerely, your grateful friend.”_

Ah. So he could read.

 

*

  
Someone had tried to kill him in his sleep.

Seungcheol knew because he never slept, not really, simply rested his eyes for a while. The smell of fire and ash as the wood of his bed went up in flames was simply a confirmation of his suspicions, not evidence of them. The vampire king was frighteningly calm about the whole ordeal. Maybe it was because he already knew who had done it.

He made Jihoon call all of Minhyuk’s closest friends to the throne room, and then all his other children too. He made a show of it, a spectacle, and really, he did enjoy himself immensely.

He explained why he had called them all there. He explained his intentions.

Then, without so much as a warning, he slaughtered all their heads off their shoulders.

“Hyunwoo, Changkyun, Kihyun, Hoseok,” he pronounced slow and clear as he walked down the line. Four pairs of eyes looked up at him fearfully, and the last begged to be spared, “I didn’t do it, King, I swear, I didn’t. I didn’t want to be a part of their plan at all, please, please have mercy.”

“Ah, but Hoseok-ie,” Seungcheol started, saccharine sweet as he got onto his heels to see his son better, “You knew about the plan, didn’t you? If you were a good boy, you would’ve told me, surely, before any of this could happen. But you stayed quiet, and that makes you as good as a traitor.”

He didn’t listen to any more pleas.

Seungcheol set fire to the severed bodies himself and made all his other children watch.

 

*

 

If sanity were a match, Seungcheol's was burning out.

The betrayal of his children had taken a greater toll on him than he would like to admit, and the therapeutic power of walks seemed  to have lost their potency. Still, Seungcheol trudged the same forest paths partly out of habit and the sudden innate desire to see a certain boy with cat-like eyes.

Jisoo was searching for four o'clocks.

Jisoo was searching for four o’clocks while smelling so deliciously of vanilla and roses, so completely unaware of Seungcheol’s presence just behind the tree line. How easy it would be to step forward and break that pretty neck, sink his teeth into the soft flesh, stain all those white flowers red.

Not for the first Seungcheol wondered why he needed so many if he was going to pick them only in the afternoon. Surely they would all dry up by morning? Surely no one would want to buy any at night?

(There is one possibility, so dangerous and idiotic that Seungcheol was sure it wasn’t the case no matter how stupid humans could be – that maybe Jisoo was selling the flowers to the supernatural – but it was never Seungcheol’s place to say what humans could or could not do, and even if he did, why should Seungcheol care, anyway?)

Jisoo started humming a tune, an old ditty that reminded Seungcheol of something he once knew.

 

 _Quand je te vois , toi, petite fleur_  
_Pousser si vite , offrir tes couleurs_  
_Tu t’illumines , chaque fois_  
_que tu ris de bon coeur_

 _Quand je te vois , toi petite feuille_  
_t’envoler seule , quand le vent te cueille_  
_tu virevoltes autour du monde_  
_et vagabonde_

 _Quand je t’entends, toi petit oiseau_  
_Je reste assis, à l’ombre du ruisseau_  
_à t’écouter chanter sans un mot_  
_le soleil est si haut_

 _Au clair de lune, je me souviens_  
_de ces bonheurs , de presque rien_  
_là , sous la lune , je me souviens_  
_de ce bonheur , main dans la main_  
_Des souvenirs , passent , j’entends l’echo de tes sourires que je garde au chaud_  
_ils sont pour moi , ce qu’il y a de plus beau_

 

The winds brushed in; he tasted the air. It tasted like the boy.

 _Snap._ Just like that, Seungcheol was tethered back to reality.

He closed his eyes and fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really thought it was going to be longer than this but I guess not... Anyway, enjoy!

It was a growl that first alerted him he was not alone.

Another followed, somewhere off to his left and then another, from the back. It was only then that Jisoo noticed how low the sun had gotten, and exactly how long he’d been out in the forest.

The skin on the back of his neck prickled, Pastor John’s voice echoing back to him from a memory not too long ago. _“Do not stray from the path and come back before it’s dark. There are evil creatures in these woods, child, and a curious boy is as good as gone.”_

But how could he listen when the flowers in the deep forest were so much prettier, and the afternoon was the one time his mother allowed him to do as he pleased? He would take the shadows and the risk if it meant he could leave the cramped church, just for a little while.

Except now, Jisoo realized he probably should have been more cautious.

The growls were closing in on him, low and guttural, and from within the dark shadows between the trees, sharp, glittering eyes caught the fading light. Fear pumped in his chest. _Wolves. Rabid wolves._

The first one to step out had silver, matted fur, foam dripping from its mouth. A large gash ran from the top of its ear across its right eye, rendering it shut and there was a large hole in one of its ears as if something had intended to rip it to shreds. One by one they stalked into the light, the others similar broken conditions but all the more menacing because of it.

“Please,” Jisoo could only beg feebly, the terror gripping his limbs, “Stay away.”

He couldn’t move, couldn’t look away. The smell of their saliva made him nauseous; blood and disease mixing into one. “Please, leave me alone.”

The wolves simply pressed forward.

There wasn’t even a stick he could use to defend himself. Just a small basket and a whole of flowers. They moved ever closer. Jisoo felt his heart rising in his throat. He was going to die.

The first wolf lunged — he squeezed his eyes shut.

What followed was the loud snapping of teeth, bone hitting bone, skin being ripped to shreds as ear-piercing howls split the night. But— There was no pain.

Jisoo curled even tighter into himself, waiting for the blow, for the crunch of teeth into flesh and bone, but there was nothing.

Eventually, the baying turned into pitiful whimpers, and then nothing at all. Just Jisoo’s heavy breathing and the presence of something — someone — standing protectively in front of him.

Slowly, Jisoo opened his eyes.

Around him, all the wolves were broken and bloodied. A figure stood menacingly over them, tall and silhouetted against the fading light.

Then he shifted slightly and Jisoo saw the fangs, the blood dripping off them to the ground, the pearlescent glow of the man’s skin. His heart beat wildly in his chest. A breeze blew and Jisoo involuntarily shivered. A look upwards and he realized that all the light had drained from the sky, leaving a bluish darkness that glittered with stars.

He was in the forest with one of the creatures of the night. One who had just saved him from a pack of rabid wolves.

“T-thank you,” came the boy’s soft, fragile voice.

Seungcheol stiffened. Slowly, he picked up the dead carcasses and threw them into a pile, ignoring the suppressed wince of the human behind him. “I… I would’ve died if you hadn’t saved me.”

“You should go home, child,” Seungcheol said softly. “It’s unsafe to be out after dark.”

“W-who— Uh, um… May I know your name, sir?”

Seungcheol raised a brow though the boy wouldn’t be able to see. “Didn’t your mother tell you not to talk to strange creatures?”

“I—” His voice dropped to a whisper. “I would like to thank you properly, is all.”

Seungcheol could already hear the movement of other animals in the forest, bears, foxes and other wolves, no doubt attracted by the smell of blood. It would be unwise for the boy to remain here but he didn’t seem to want to move, despite the obvious threats. All because he hadn’t caught his name yet?

Seungcheol turned around curiously, eyeing him. “Aren’t you afraid of me?”

The boy blinked rapidly, startled. “Um— W-well, you did save me from those wolves, s-sir. I didn’t think you would hurt me after going through all that trouble.” The colour rose in his cheeks and he dropped his gaze quickly maybe after realizing how presumptuous that sounded.

Seungcheol was amused. “Well, you should be afraid of me.”

Still, the boy didn’t move, even after it was clear Seungcheol had dismissed him. The vampire sighed, eyeing the frightened child. Was he stupid or simply too well-mannered to leave without a proper thank you?

“Choi Seungcheol,” he relinquished finally. “The vampire king.”

The boy’s eyes widened, and he gulped involuntarily but he looked no more frightened than he had been after he was almost attacked by those wolves. “T-thank you, Choi-ssi. I’m Hong Jisoo.”

“I never asked.”

Jisoo burned red again. “O-of course. I was only being courteous. I— I shall go now. Thank you again, Choi-ssi.”

Seungcheol nodded. He didn’t move when Jisoo fluttered pass him, leaving the now familiar scent of flowers and vanilla in his wake. He followed the boy back to town anyway, just to make sure he made it back safely.

He didn’t want all that trouble of saving the human to go to waste, after all.

 

*

 

Despite the king’s warning, Jisoo still went flower-picking in the afternoon and stayed out late till evening. But every night before he left, he would leave the biggest, brightest flower of the day behind with a note that told of their name and meaning. And always, as a closing sentence: _“Thank you, Choi-ssi.”_

Seungcheol was no longer sure what for.

 

*

 

It was only a matter of time before the wolves came for him.

Seungcheol wasn’t stupid; he knew there was some truth in what Minhyuk had said, even if he did kill the insolent child afterwards for pointing it out.

During the full moon, the power of the wolves (and all other supernaturals) was at its strongest, but so were their _hamartias —_  the fatal flaws. And Seungcheol happened to be well-acquainted with that of the wolves; in particular, their weakness to a certain type of flower.

The _Aconitum._ Wolfsbane.

_These in particular are the Monk’s-hoods. Father says they’re extremely poisonous, and that the supernatural set buy them often for medicinal properties because they don’t get sick the way we humans do. I think they’re beautiful, anyway. Don’t you think so, Choi-ssi?_

_“Yes, very,_ ” Seungcheol had told him the very next morning, startling the boy out of his wits, _“Could you show me where you found them?”_

Seungcheol didn’t show himself very often, but whenever he did, Jisoo would give him a smile that said it was the best thing to have happened all day. Seungcheol could get used to that smile; the way it lit up his whole face and reached up to his eyes, how it stretched the younger’s (now full) cheeks and revealed the very faint dimple near the corner of his mouth. That was exactly why Seungcheol had to keep away. That smile was dangerous, but he was even more so.

That evening Seungcheol brought back a handful of seeds and several more stalks of wolfsbane. _“What are you planning to do with those, Choi-ssi?”_

_“...Protect my coven.”_

Seungcheol had gained somewhat of a garden since the first time Jisoo left a flower for him. Vampire blood had wonderful propagative properties, and the flowers grew by the dozens at Seungcheol’s tendering. Blooms of all kinds and colours surrounded the hive like a moat, and it was easy enough to slip the indigo wolfsbane between some purple four o’clocks and tall lavenders.

The garden was a sight to see, blindingly bright against the dull stone walls of the manor, but the vampire king’s latest hobby — though uncharacteristic — came as a relief to many. At least he wasn’t gallivanting around town turning humans for fun.

(Seungcheol wasn’t sure how happy the people would be if they knew that his attention was solely focused on one human now, on the boy's sweet scent and the struggle he faced every day trying to keep himself under control in the presence of it.)

The vampire king ordered all his children inside three whole days before the coming of the full moon because the wolves would be growing ever stronger with the waxing light. Crippled by their own growing strength, his children spent their drones dry and brought in more humans to curb their ever-growing thirst.

Seungcheol could deal with the repercussions of that later. For now, he would keep his coven safe and right where he could see them.

The night of the full moon began.

His children stood at the ready, prepared to attack if the situation called for it but there was absolutely no need. Not many wolves could get past the garden perimeter, and those who did gradually faded to nothing as mountain ash in the soil poisoned their very feet, and then flesh.

The next morning, all that was left were crowds of unconscious men lying naked in a frighteningly perfect circle around the castle.

The bodies were all burnt by noon, bones buried under dirt and ash to serve as fertile soil for more flowers to come.

 

*

 

“Choi-ssi?” Jisoo called and Seungcheol bristled at the voice. “Choi-ssi, are you there?”

Seungcheol stepped out from behind the tree, an eyebrow already raised. “What are you doing calling for vampires for, child? Don’t you know they’re dangerous?”

Jisoo simply beamed, as if he wasn’t standing in the presence of one of those dangerous vampires himself. “Choi-ssi, I found a flower I thought you’d like. They don’t really grow in these parts but I found one; it’s beautiful.”

Jisoo strode forward to take his hand and didn’t even flinch when the cold skin met his warm human one. But Seungcheol did. He wondered how and at what point the human got comfortable enough to touch him like this, and why he didn’t stop it.

Jisoo was a naïve boy but Seungcheol liked to think that he himself was a smart vampire, even if he wasn’t cautious or wise, and yet…

Seungcheol laced their fingers together, locking their hands, and all Jisoo did was turn back to smile.

They reached the river and walk downstream until they reach the lake, where the water is quieter and insects buzz lowly, bumping lazily against each other. Here the trees are thicker and Jisoo brings them deeper within them, where the water has pooled into a near stagnant pond.

“You know it’s very dangerous to be in such secluded places with a supernatural, Jisoo. Especially with the likes of me.” There’s a dark glint in Seungcheol’s voice, but the boy remained frustratingly calm.

“Joshua,” he replied instead, “Please, call me Joshua. And I only ever go to such places with you, Choi-ssi. I trust you.”

“You shouldn’t.”

“But I do.”

They don’t say any more, and Jisoo finally seemed to find what he was looking for. He knelt down close to the riverbank, uncaring of the mud that would ruin his clothes (and surely incur the wrath of his mother), before tugging at Seungcheol’s hand for him to lower himself down too. He pressed a single finger to his lips as an indication for the vampire to stay mum, as if they could be even quieter than the already pin-drop silence of the pond.

This close, Seungcheol could smell the boy’s sweetness — fresh cookies cooling on the counter — and hear his pulse beating steady in his throat.

Jisoo shifted slightly and pointed to something by the water.

Seungcheol couldn’t help but gasp. In the middle of the pond, standing proud and tall, was a single lotus flower reaching out desperately to the sky. It stood under the only patch of direct light in the whole pond, pink petals spread opened greedily for warmth. On the water's surface, a few white lilies floated about surrounding the erect flower, but nothing could beat the beauty of that single lotus, calling for the sun’s attention.

“I knew you’d love it,” Jisoo beamed.

“The lotus is my favourite flower. It reminds me of home.”

“Where is home, for you?”

“Unfortunately Ji— Joshua, I don’t really remember.”

They watch the lotus for the rest of the hour until its petals start to close up with the retreating of the sun and Seungcheol reminds the boy that it’s about time they head back.

They return to the field where Jisoo had been picking berries and flowers to collect his previously discarded cloak and basket.

“This old thing’s all worn,” Seungcheol commented, touching at the thin fabric of the red cloak, “It’s not going to protect you from anything.”

Jisoo shrugged. “I don’t have anything else. Su– Mother says we need to save coins to buy bread for the less fortunate ones.”

“What’s the use of feeding beggars if you’ll die from the cold yourself!” Seungcheol noticed Jisoo’s discomfort at his sudden outburst and scowled angrily at the ground instead. “Tomorrow I will have a new cloak delivered to the church for you.”

Jisoo scrunched his nose. “Mother might take it for herself.”

Seungcheol growled lowly in his chest. “Then I will give you the cloak myself and you tell your mother that it’s laced with witch magic so if anyone but you tries to use the cloak, they will be cursed.”

“Choi-ssi,” Jisoo suddenly stopped, tugging at the vampire’s arm, “I appreciate you looking out for me but there are many other ways to do it aside from threatening to hurt other people. Besides, witch magic is not allowed inside the church.”

Seungcheol’s eyes softened. “Then how do I make sure you and only you get to use the cloak?”

“I don’t know. But I’m sure you’ll figure something out.” Jisoo laughed and Seungcheol wished he could bottle the sound. “After all, aren’t you the vampire king? You can do anything.”

That night, Seungcheol sent Jihoon to knock on the church door with a brand new cloak (red wool; soft to the touch but thick and warm) and a message for the Pastor John: “If anyone else other than Hong Jisoo wears this cloak,” Jihoon drawled slowly, seemingly oblivious to the girl’s fear, “The vampire king promises the most terrible wrath will befall the church and all its people.”

The young maid had simply nodded meekly, trembling to the bone as she took the package and slammed the door in the vampire’s face.

The deed was done.

Vampire King Choi Seungcheol ruled these lands and no one — no church, no spell, absolutely _nothing —_ could stop him.

 

*

 

Spring came and went and summer entered with full force. There were more flowers now, riper fruits for picking and Jisoo became bolder, travelling deeper and deeper into the forest because he knew Seungcheol was near, keeping him safe.

And Seungcheol, against his better judgement, always came when called. Jisoo seemed to have figured out that Seungcheol wouldn’t show himself voluntarily, so he took every opportunity he could to coax the vampire king out from within the shadows.

“Why can you stay out in the sun?” Jisoo had asked one day, Seungcheol resting peacefully by his side, tall grass tickling his nose. They were in a clearing, far from the shade of trees. “Don’t the legends say vampires get burnt under the sun? That’s why our parents don’t let us go out at night.”

Seungcheol scoffed. “You insult me.”

“Why?” Jisoo asked innocently. He was braiding a flower crown in his hands.

“Because I am pure-blood. Pure-bloods are not affected by the sun. Only turned vampires, half-breeds, burn in the light. There are a lot more turned vampires than there are born ones, however, and they are the ones with greater bloodlust, so naturally, humans would keep mostly to the day.”

Jisoo hummed in thought. “So if I you were to say, turn me, then I could only go out in the night?”

Seungcheol’s eyes darkened. “Do not talk about turning.”

“I’m only speculating.” Jisoo ruffled the vampire’s hair, throwing his bangs into his eyes and making him squawk indignantly. Jisoo laughed. “Is this why I never see any of the vampires in your coven? Because they cannot go out in the day?”

“I wouldn’t want you to see any other vampires.” Seungcheol’s face burned. “Not in that way. What I mean is; they’re not very kind.”

“Eunwoo, one of the maids at the church said she’s met one from your coven when he came to give the cloak.” Jisoo beamed at the vampire. “Thank you for that by the way. I love the cloak.”

“You look pretty in it. And she must have met Jihoon. He is one of the children I trust.”

“Can I meet him?”

“Why would you want to?”

“Eunwoo says he is small. But very strong.”

“How would she know he’s strong?”

Jisoo blushed the way red flowers bloomed — beautifully. “She says she sees him practising in the woods when he trains. He split a whole tree in half, once.”

“Does the little maid girl have a crush on my Jihoonie?

Jisoo laughed. “Maybe. But I think it’s more of awe or admiration. Eunwoo has always been curious about deadly things.”

“Much like someone I know.” Seungcheol’s voice was a whisper and when their eyes met, it’s a storm. Surprisingly, it was Jisoo who pressed forth. Three, two, one centimetres, until there was no space at all and their lips, met.

 

*

 

Seungcheol didn’t mean for it to happen, but it did, and now he ~~won’t~~  can't make it stop.

 

*

 

Summer ended.

Jisoo’s congregation seemed set on staying, though they had been due to leave after a few weeks. Seungcheol didn’t mind, as long as it meant he got to see Jisoo’s beautiful smile every day, and dream easy of him in the night. He didn’t want to think yet of how all this would eventually have to come to an end.

But come to an end it did.

 

*

 

They say everything comes in threes.

 

*

 

First came the Black Death.

News had come from Paris that the deadly disease had reached its shores, and every day people died by the thousands. It was spreading like wildfire, driven by infected people fleeing to smaller towns, bringing the plague with them, lives dying out as easily as a snap of a finger. Smaller towns than theirs were gone in less than a day.

“Maybe you should leave town for a while,” Seungcheol insisted, worry evident in his tone. They were far enough from Paris to be free from any immediate danger, but there were travellers heading their way every passing day, and the fear of supernaturals would deter them only for so long. There was no telling whether the town would be hit or not.

“There’s nothing to be worried about,” Jisoo said instead, maybe a little too carelessly. Seungcheol’s heart panged. “Please, love. I can’t— You can’t—”

Jisoo took his face and held it between his palms. “I’ll be fine Choi-ssi. You’re here to protect me are you not?”

“But this is something I’m not sure I can protect you from.”

“You’ll find a way.” Jisoo grinned. “You always do.”

“Joshua…”

“Then what about you?”

Seungcheol blinked. He was aware that the younger was trying to change the subject but he couldn’t help rising to bait. “What about me?”

“I heard… something.” Seungcheol simply cocked a brow, waiting. “I heard there was going to be an assassination attempt. On the vampire king.”

Seungcheol considered this information for a while.

Then he said, “I know. They’ve been saying that for years now. Reckon they’re actually going to do it this time. There’s a supermoon coming, after all.”

“Don’t, Seungcheol.” Jisoo sighed. It was the first time Jisoo had called ever him by that name, and the frustration in the younger’s voice was foreign too. “Please don’t say such things so casually. I would very much like my vampire king alive the next time I see him.”

“I am not your king, Jisoo,” Seungcheol reminded softly. He pretended not to see the look of hurt that flashed across Jisoo’s face.

“No, I guess not. But he’s still someone very important to me. I care for him. Please stay safe, king. If you die… I couldn’t bear it.”

Suddenly Jisoo started to cry and Seungcheol was torn between going to him and respecting the boundaries he set for himself so long ago. But then Jisoo opened his arms wide and it was all the invitation Seungcheol needed to fall into them.

“Don’t go, Seungcheol,” Jisoo murmured, grip a little desperate. Seungcheol wished his chest didn't tighten the way it did, knew exactly what it meant. “Stay with me.”

“I won’t, I won’t,” he tried to laugh. “You know me, darling. I’m the vampire king. I can do anything.”

“Promise me.” Jisoo held out his pinky. Seungcheol couldn't help but grin. “Isn’t that a little childish?”

“Just promise me.”

Seungcheol curled his finger around the human’s. “I promise.”

A few months ago, when the rumours started surfacing and gossip made its way to the coven’s ears, Seungcheol had been glad. He’d grown tired of this life — of the endless time he had, of roaming with no purpose. But now there is Joshua. Today, he decided he didn’t want to die; because he had a reason to live.

 

*

 

Then came the super moon.

Like Jisoo said, there had been plans to murder him.

Seungcheol had thought it was wise at the time to bring the fight to him, instead of letting it catch him off guard. He picked a wide clearing, someplace he could see for miles ahead, yet far away enough from civilisation so that none of his children or any humans could accidentally get caught in the crossfire.

It was a mistake.

They didn’t manage to kill him but a second party — one consisting of hunters, magicians and a mishmash of various supernaturals — did kill all his children.

The manor, once tall and imposing, heavy stone masonry perched on the edge of a cliff, was nothing more than charred rubble, a lifeless lump against a cruel orange sky. Seungcheol had never once felt fear, but it gripped him now like a vice around his throat as he searched frantically for something, anything—

A choked cough in the distance, and then the sound of wood crashing to the ground. He caught whiff of a familiar scent. “Jihoon?”

“King?”

Seungcheol ran over to help his son, the only one it seemed who still survived. Jihoon had been hiding in the cellar. Or what remained of the cellar.

“K-king, I— I’m sorry—”

Seungcheol’s face was dark. “From now on you will stay by my side Jihoon. I will have the witches make a cloak for you so you can stay out in the light. You are the last of my children, Jihoonie. You are not to die.”

 

*

 

“I– I’m sorry I couldn’t keep my promise. I’m sorry I have to go.”

The moon was white against an ink-black sky and entirely useless in its splendour. Jisoo couldn’t see a thing, feeling rather than observing the knit between Seungcheol’s brows as he blindly pressed their lips together. He certainly couldn’t see Jihoon hiding in the shadows, looking guiltily upon them, for Jisoo would surely have gone to assure the other vampire if he had noticed.

But Seungcheol, with his cursed superior vision, could see everything on Jisoo’s face. It was wet with tears though he tried hard to keep it out of his voice. “It's okay, Choi-ssi. Do what you have to do.”

“I’ll be back in a week,” Seungcheol promised, “Less if I can help it. I just… need to make sure they don’t find Jihoon.”

“Protect your coven.”

“Please don’t think any less of me for this, Shua.”

“I couldn’t.” Because he understood. He really did. It just hurts to be parted now that they had spent so much time in each other’s company.

“A week, Joshua.” He placed a searing kiss on the boy’s forehead. “I promise.”

Then both the vampire king and his last remaining child melted into the night.

 

*

 

And lastly…

 

*

 

Within the week the Black Death swept into town, touching everyone and everything, leaving in its wake fires and a boy with blackened lungs clutching onto a silver cross, waiting for his lover to come home.

 

*

 

“You’ve been a good son,” his mother had told him, as their congregation packed up hastily for the move. They were skipping town before more people could get infected. “I’m sorry we cannot bring you along.” She didn’t even dare touch him, simply dropping the necklace onto his bed. It had been Pastor John’s before the disease took him, and now, it was Jisoo’s. The last remaining artefact that would tie him to this world.

“May God have mercy on your soul.”

 

*

 

That was how Seungcheol found Jisoo; covered in the cloak he’d gifted him, all those months ago, and on the brink of death.

“You came.”

“I— I did.”

Jisoo’s smile was no less radiant, even with black crusting his eyes, fungus growing on his lips, tan skin turned white by the flesh-eating disease. “I thought I was going to die before I saw your face one last time.”

“No…” Seungcheol choked out a sob, “ _Please,_ Joshua, no.”

“It's okay. At least you’re finally… here…” His eyes slipped shut.

**_“NO! Joshua!”_ **

The vampire king had lost many things. His home, his family, and at a point in time, his sanity.

But this is the one thing he would not lose. He would not give up on Jisoo.

No matter the cost.

**Author's Note:**

> The title means _The Little Flower_ in French and was mostly inspired by the French nursery rhyme of the same name that Joshua sang in the story above. Its really very nice; listen [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNthY7_1ZzM).


End file.
